The Child Advocacy Center

The Child Advocacy Center supports child abuse investigations, provides access to critical services, and raises community awareness to prevent and reduce child abuse and neglect in Southern Missouri. We envision a community where justice is accessible, prevention is possible, families are resilient, and children can heal.

Child abuse is terrible. Worse, 90% of kids who are abused are hurt by someone they know—so it’s hard for them to speak up. On top of that, the process to investigate abuse, which is meant to help kids, can be really hard to navigate. The Child Advocacy Center exists to provide a safe place where kids can talk about what happened with a forensic interviewer who can walk with them through tough conversations without causing more pain. The methods we use are backed by research and always put the child first—no matter what.